Pressing Z to use the Whirlwind Sprint Dragon Shout to zip around faster as usual, I forgot that it was still set to Unrelenting Force. In the middle of Whiterun town.

FUSSSS-RO!!!

Instant 40-something bounty and several guards about to beat me down, doh.

(This was before I had it fully upgraded to Fus-Ro-Dah)

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Hagraven vs Hired Thugs

I’d cleared Orphan Rock of the Hagraven’s follower Witches, mostly sniping them from the Stromcloak camp cliff above – two sneak shots at 3x damage each was enough. Up on the cliff, the Sneak eye stays half open as they come looking, but just can’t find me.

When I wanted to start whittling Hagraven down. However as I lured her out of her lair, I bumped into three Hired Thugs as they walked up the path (as it later turns out, send by Nazeem to teach me a lesson). They proceeded to gang rush me, so I had to reload.

This time I sneaked out of the way. I found that the Thugs would inevitably bump into Hagraven and start beating her down. After crushing Hagraven, they would unerringly home in on me no matter how well Hidden and out of the path I was. One or two hits and I was dead.

I decided to take potshots at them while they were preoccupied, but even continuous 3x damage sneak attack arrows barely nicked their health bars! Once finished dealing with Hagraven, all three would walk casually up to me, echange empty words, and crush my skull.

My idea to put Weak Frenzy Potion on an arrow and make it a 2v2 fight among themselves failed too – they were too high level to be affected.

I considered letting them pound Hagraven then waiting for them to follow me to the Stormcloak camp, maybe they’d have a tougher fight, but it took too long waiting for them to show up – if ever.

Then I tried sniping all my arrows at them until Hagraven was nearly dead, before running around behind them to the Frost Rune trap on the ground that one-shot kills me – unfortunately it doesn’t quite kill them.

I almost got it down pat when I helped Hagraven take down the Thugs first, but one on one she ended up killing me too! Without the Thugs constantly hurting her, her Healing negated all my damage quickly.

AND my orc had earlier already used Berserker Rage for the day!

In the end, after many reloads to get the below tactic just right, I finally nailed it.

While they started their duel, I sneaked around the fallen log with a skeleton wearing a Dwarven Helmet in it. I used dual daggers for a 6x backstab on the nearest Thug (just one Sneak level short of Assassin 15x backstab, darn!).

After one sneak attack, the max I can get on any of the Thugs, I swapped to the Axe of Whiterun which in this playthru was a fire enchanted two-handed weapon – test with dual weapons got much less damage. Then I just Power Attacked the Thugs to death one at a time while Hagraven kept them busy. Once in a while I Fused to keep the target off balance (not much of a help though).

I had to reload back to the opening of the fight often – accidentally getting between the sparring teams meant I got ripped to shreds, or provoking the Thugs too much made them decide to kill me first, and Hagraven’s claw swipes are pathetic but occassionally her stray Fireball would wipe me out.

When the Thugs were down to one (the girl), I dashed off back to my starting point next to the log and went back to Sneak sniping. This time I decided Hagraven was more dangerous, and the Thug more predictable, so I sniped Hagraven. With my assisting, the Thug prevailed.

And as expected, her AI script made her walk towards me – semi-Hidden in the log opening with the Sneak eye slightly open, waiting with dual daggers unsheathed. She walked past the opening and lost my trail, and stood with her back to me pondering to herself.

I Sneaked up to her and Backstabbed for 6x damage, and she went down.

YES!!!

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Teamwork Town

Climbing up to High Hrothgar, a too-strong Ice Wraith was in the way and refused to let me stay Hidden. After some attempts at sniping and getting close enough for a 15x backstab, I decided what the heck, and lured it down to the town below while occassionally arrowing it and Fus-ing to stun when it got too near.

Poor archer hunter dude on the way got wiped (leaving lots of free iron arrows for me to use), and across the bridge into town the townsfolk charged in to smack it. (Note to self: Fus-ing the enemy together with townsfolk makes me a wanted man; landing an arrow in the front of a woman’s forehead doesn’t, she will walk off after the battle with the arrow still there.)

Meanwhile, I saw the town guards hoof it away from the fight! Guess that arrow to the knee got suddenly cured.